November 17, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 1943

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): More than twenty B-24's from Funafuti and Canton bomb Mille Atoll, Maloelap Atoll and Tarawa Atoll. Between November 13-17, B-24s have flown 141 sorties against Gilberts and Marshalls and have dropped 173 tons of bombs.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, eight P-40's strafe the airfield and barracks at Kengtung, 4 others hit construction equipment at Dong Cuong Airfield in French Indochina and eight attack Pingkai and targets of opportunity between Pingkai and Tahsai on the Salween River.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Thirty plus B-25's hit Buka Airfield and the surrounding areas during the night of 16/17 Nov; Two squadrons of B-24's follow with a daylight strike on the same target; During the night of 16/17 Nov eight other B-24's bomb Buka Airfield and Bonis Airfield at various times. During the afternoon three B-25's hit Kieta.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): B-24's bomb Soerabaja and Tjepoe, Java and Denpasar during the night of 17/18 Nov, and B-25's bomb a freighter off Tanimbar. 58 B-24's are dispatched to support an attack by the Australian 9 Division on Sattelberg, but because of bad weather only three B-24's [along with 12 RAAF aircraft] get through to the target; P-47's strafe Japanese shipping between Saidor and Finschhafen.

Australian Army: 9th Division beings an assault against Sattelberg by the 26th, 24th, 20th, and 4th Brigs, assisted by tanks, aircraft, and artillery.

USMC: The last elements of 21st Marines land at Cape Torokina on Bougainville.

USN: Destroyers bombard Buka Airfield.

Japanese planes attack a U.S. convoy bound for Empress Augusta Bay. Sunk is USS McKean (APD-5) by a torpedo from a G4M1 Betty southwest of Cape Torokina at Lat 6°31'S Long 154°52'E. Afterwards, the rest of the convoy enters Empress Augusta Bay and unload at Cape Torokina.

USS Capelin (SS-289) departs Darwin bound for Molucca and Celebes Seas. She is never heard from again (see November 23, 1943).

USS Drum (SS-228) sinks Japanese submarine depot ship Hie Maru (which had eluded Drum on November 11, 1943) north-northwest of New Ireland, 01°45'N, 148°20'E.